Historic announcement this week: the launch of Souliers Dulion. Let's get introduced.
The Dulion projet was born from a long-standing appreciation for 19th-century women’s shoes, starting with those of Marie-Antoinette and Joséphine de Beauharnais.
At the Empress’s feet
In the 1800s, fashion favored dancing shoes made out of silk, often in soft shades like ivory, pale pink, or skyblue. A shoe typically featured a thin leather sole and a low or even flat heel. These shoes were often adorned with delicate details such as rosettes, ribbons, embroidery, and sometimes pearls that shimmered in candlelight.
A year ago at the Puces de Vanves, Caroline miraculously came across this pair:
French souliers, probably 1830s
The idea had been on her mind for ages and this pair served as the spark. With Dulion, the intention is not to create a new object, but to bring back to life a forgotten one.
We quickly found the ideal maker, Luca, and sent the antique pair to Italy for analysis. The minimal changes we made were solely intended to adapt the shoes for modern life.
Another protagonist in the project is our graphic designer, Chine Benoit. She drew the beast:
The priceless original
The version ready to take on the world
1,000 voice messages, video calls, postal shipments, one viaggio to Italy, four prototypes and... here they are.
A word about the second inspiration behind Dulion: Marie-Thérèse of the same name, maternal grandmother of Caroline (who officially has interesting patronyms/matronyms). Marie-Thérèse was known for her elegance and her love of ballet. A taste passed on to her rightful heiress and future Dulionnes.
Marie-Thérèse Dulion, around 1950, approximately 18 years old
Our Souliers are available in sizes 35 to 41 and fit true to size - with a special price for preorders.
Roaaar!
Bourgine 15 rue Racine in Paris Monday-Sat, 11am-7pm Sunday, 12am-7pm
